The effect of repetitive rugby scrummaging on force output and muscle activity
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Date
2017-06-01
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Georg Thieme
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License
Abstract
During rugby scrummaging, front row forwards encounter high levels
of force that has been suggested to cause transient fatigue and is likely
to reduce subsequent performance. However, little is known about the
effect of repetitive scrummaging on force output and onset of fatigue.
Twelve male front row forwards (21.5 ± 2.3 yr; height 185.7 ± 4.4 cm;
body mass 108.5 ± 7.1 kg) each performed three sets of five maximaleffort
isometric scrums for 10 s, with 40 s rest separating each repetition;
2 min recovery was provided between each set. Force output and
electromyography (EMG) of the right medial gastrocnemius (MG), biceps
femoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GM), erector spinae (ES), rectus
abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), internal oblique (IO), and rectus
femoris (RF) were assessed. There was no significant force decrement
from performing 15 scrums and no fatigue was detected from EMG
median frequency and mean amplitude. For training and practice purposes,
coaches and trainers can be confident that 15 individual repetitive
static scrums against a machine are unlikely to cause a reduction in
force production and promote fatigue. However, the effect of rugbyrelated
activities in conjunction with scrummaging requires further
research to determine if transient fatigue is causal to scrummaging for
subsequent performance
Description
Keywords
electromyography, fatigue, front row, isometric, performance
Citation
Sports Med Int Open, 2017, 1 (3), pp. E89 - E93